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Dorna provides advance payments to MotoGP teams
Dorna Sports, the commercial rights-holder to motorcycling’s MotoGP series, is to provide its teams with advance payments as the financial effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to take hold.
Visa calls on brands to follow its lead and support Olympic athletes
Global payments specialist Visa has called on fellow sponsors to demonstrate support for Olympic athletes impacted by the postponement of the Tokyo Games
ICC considers unbundling broadcast rights to women’s events
International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Manu Sawhney has said the governing body is considering unbundling broadcast rights for its major women’s events on the back of record viewing figures f…
Aramco pays upwards of $40m per year to join F1 top tier
Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies, will pay between $40m (€36.6m) and $45m per year for global partner rights to Formula 1 over 10 years from 2020 to 2029.
IOC seeks ‘equitable solution’ over broadcast payment schedules
The International Olympic Committee will look to find an “equitable solution” with rights-holding broadcasters over payment schedules for rights to the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games, according to Timo Lum…
Fight Network recruits consultant, Protocol Sports maintains boxing series
Fight Network, the international fight sports channel, has appointed Adrian Clark as a consultant as it seeks to develop new boxing programming and relaunch its mobile app to support growth on new platforms
Cities fear Covid-19 will impact hosting budgets says poll
A poll of 100 cities has revealed their concerns that the Covid-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on the budgets allocated to hosting sporting events and public perceptions about sport’s ‘travelling cir…
UCI extends events suspension, Tour de France dates remain for now
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has extended the suspension of all competitions through to June 1, but Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) president Christian Prudhomme has said its Tour de France currently…
Ironman signs two new sponsors ahead of virtual racing series
Global endurance series Ironman Group has signed up virtual cycling app Rouvy as it develops its presence in simulated racing
Formula One’s virtual grands prix are a silver lining during dark times
The race’s popularity among young fans, both new and existing, has shown F1’s senior executives that video games and esports can be central to engaging under-25s.
ITTF commercial restructure accelerates during shutdown, Pound says
As part of a series of video interviews by SportBusiness looking at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kevin McCullagh speaks exclusively to Matt Pound, marketing director of the International Table Tennis Federation.
Gosper: November Tests still possible, USA Rugby to receive €1m in aid
World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper has said it may still be possible to schedule international rugby matches this November although it appears increasingly likely that Northern Hemisphere countries’ s…
Right Formula’s Fenwick: Smart and paid digital campaigns offer cut through in Covid-19 crisis
Brands must be “smarter than ever” in landing their messages on digital platforms during the global Covid-19 crisis, according to a sports consultancy head.
Deltatre launches new OTT user behaviour technology
Sports streaming technology company Deltatre has launched mtribes, a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology that will allow media outlets running a multi-platform digital or OTT service to identify…
Fifa working on ‘Marshall plan’ for football
Fifa is working on a major financial support plan for football organisations around the world, according to Reuters
DAZN defers rights fee payments and furloughs staff
DAZN, the global sports subscription service, has begun to inform sports rights-holders that it will not make its next rights fee payments for any content that has yet to be delivered, SportBusiness understands
ESPN moves up release of anticipated Bulls documentary
10-part series shifted from June release to mid-April
Tokyo Olympics officially rescheduled for summer 2021
Summer Games now set for July 23-August 8, 2021
Visa commits to Olympic athletes for 2021 Games
Global payments specialists Visa has provided the Olympic athletes it sponsors with assurance that contracts can be extended in line with the delay of Tokyo 2020
Sportradar seeks to satisfy betting clients with Simulated Reality
Sports data and content company Sportradar has launched a new AI-driven product that will seek to simulate professional sports matches for the betting market amid the global competition lockdown due to…
Swiss Federal Court rejects Al-Khelaifi corruption indictment
BeIN Media Group chairman and Paris Saint-Germain president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, has been boosted in his legal battle with Swiss authorities with the news that the country’s Federal Criminal Court has a…
IMG Arena and ATP Media’s virtual tennis product to provide much-needed content
IMG Arena, the sports betting arm of the IMG agency, and ATP Media, the ATP Tour’s international media-rights sales and broadcast production arm, have developed a virtual ATP Masters 1000 tennis product f…
Coronavirus update: Wimbledon to be cancelled, F1 could race into January 2021, and more
Wimbledon will be cancelled for the first time since World War II, according to German Tennis Federation vice-president Dirk Hordorff. The event is scheduled to begin June 29
Centralisation of archive allowed Fifa to offer matches free says commercial chief Thomas
Fifa’s chief commercial officer Simon Thomas has said the decision by the governing body to take its audiovisual archive services in-house has enabled it to offer more than 30 historic matches free of c…
SIS suspends all non-essential operations
Sports Information Services has announced that it is to suspend all non-essential operations and furlough “a significant number” of its permanent staff, effective immediately in response to the Covid-19 pan…
MotoGP launches #StayAtHomeGP virtual racing, Spanish GP postponed
Motor cycling’s MotoGP has announced the launch of a virtual racing competition involving star riders from the series.
Red Bull Media House chief Meier set for exit
Gerrit Meier, the global managing director of Red Bull Media House, the media and content arm of the energy drinks brand, is to leave the company, according to reports in Austria
IMG and World RX join motorsport’s drive to esports
The World Rallycross Championship (World RX) has become the latest motorsport championship to introduce an esports series to compensate for the lack of events during Covid-19
Wanda to sell Ironman to Advance Publications in $730m deal
Wanda Sports Group has announced it has entered into a definitive stock purchase agreement to sell its Ironman business to Advance Publications, the American media company that owns Condé Nast and holds …
Discovery taps into $500m credit facility amid ‘unknown’ Covid-19 impact
US-based media group Discovery has borrowed $500m (€456.9m) under its credit facility as it seeks to tackle the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Endeavor lays off 250 staff with more cuts to come
Endeavor, the talent agency and sports and entertainment group that owns sports marketing agency IMG, has laid off around 250 staff as the sports and film industries continue to be on shut down amid the…
ICC opens up archive to broadcast rights-holders
The International Cricket Council has become the latest sports body to open up its archive of match footage and programming to its broadcast rights-holders amid the ongoing effect of the Covid-19 pandemic
Porsche strengthens Tag Heuer link through esports championship
Global automotive manufacturer Porsche has added luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer as a sponsor of its virtual racing esports championship
World Athletics begins search for general counsel
World Athletics, the sport’s international governing body, has initiated a recruitment process for a director of legal and business affairs, general counsel.